Improved life-boat



UNITED STATES PATENT OEETcE HENRY HENSEL, OF CARVER, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND LOUIS SULTER, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPRovED LIFE-BOAT.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 57,633, dated August 28, 1866.

To all whom it may concer/n:

Be it known that I, HENEYyHENsEL, of Carver, Carver county, State of Minnesota, have invented new and usetul Improvements in LifeBoats; and I do hereby declareV the following to be an exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, makin g a part of this specication, in which- Figure l is a top view of the boat; Fig. 2, a side section of the cylinder; Fig. 3, a crosssection. Figs. 4 and 5 exhibit end views, with a propeller; Fig. 6, a propeller, screw-shaped or plain arms.

The nature of my invention consists in a cylindrical boat of any light material or meta-l, with airchambers or an air-tight hollow frame surrounding the cylinder lengthwise, and attached at each end by a rod, so that the cylinder operates ason a pivot, having ladders or steps to enable the passengers to be rescued and enter the boat, and also water-tight sliding doors at top for entrances.

rlhe object of my invention is to stow away valuable personal property in the cylinder, so that, in case of accident at sea, the boat may also contain a number of llassengers, and it', in letting down the life-boat from the side of a ship, the ropes might break, the life-boat cannot be sunk, because the air-chambers at the sides preserve its buoyancy, though the boat may t'all into the water endwise or sidewise, always securing personal safety.

A lrepresents the cylinder to' contain the passengers or any valuables. The ends of the cylinder are pointed. Inside of this cylinder are water-chambers B, to contain water or any other materials or provisions, which also answer as ballast to keep the cylinder in its proper position, with the bottom down. These chambers B (three or more) are arranged along the bottom of the cylinder, and so constructed as to answer also as seats for the passengers.

C C are sliding Water-tight doors at top of the cylinder, for the passengers to enter, and D D are ladders to assist the passengers in entering the boat. E E are skylights and ventilator.

G is an angular metal frame on the outside of the boat, that is hollow and divided into airchambers or air-tight compartments H, cX- tending on each side the whole length of the boat, and pointed at the ends, corresponding with the pointed ends ot the boat.

A rod or shaft, J, extends through the poi n ted ends of the boat and the ends of the hollo'w frame G, the boat A actingindependently of the frame G and operating on shaft J as a pivot, the frame G acting as a float to buoy up the boat A with the utmost safety upon the strongest Waves.

Propellers K, of any shape, may be used at one or both ends, to be propelled or steered by the passengers by the use of a crank and pinion, as shown at Figs. 4, 5, and 6.

A rod, L, extends around the outside of the frame G, so that persons in the water may be enabled to catch hold and climb theladders D and save themselves.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent7 isrlhe air-chambers G and H surrounding the self-adj ustin g cylinder-boat A, operating independently on the center shaft, J, arranged and combined with end propellers K, for the purpose of steering and turning the boat quickly, at the same time preventing the boat from sinking, giving the greatest safety to the pas sengers as a buoyant life-boat.

' HENRY HENSEL. Witnesses:

J. FRANKLIN REIGART, JOHN S. HOLLINGSHEA'D. 

